This review is about 10 months old that I posted on the Barreled app before I met all you fine people. Sample was from Lee This Macallan is 43% ABV and is aged in a combination of ex bourbon and sherry casks. I do not know if this is chill filtered or not. It is a brilliant yellow gold in color, but I'm not sure if it is natural color or not. The nose has an initial blast of strong oak. It develops into raisins and orange peel. Dried fruits and sherried fruits are there. There are strong floral notes as well. More oak and some vanilla. I think the best word to use to describe the nose is sharp. Not an unpleasant sharp, but it definitely cuts through your senses. The oak dominates everything else. The palate is pretty light, again with the oak in the foreground. Orange oil and some sherry sweetness. There is some nuttiness in the background. What really surprised me was the mouthfeel. Lightly oily and it coats the mouth. This carries into the finish. This one sticks around for a while with the oiliness just leaving you wondering how long it will last. In a good way. Overall this is a quality scotch, but it seems like it's relying more on the Macallan name to warrant its price rather than its intrinsic qualities. I was expecting more from this and I have to say I'm scratching my head as to why Macallan has as high of a reputation as it does. I did a side by side with the 17 YO fine oak. I think I prefer the 17 overall, but the mouthfeel on this one wins between the two. Given that the quality of the oak is the selling point of the fine oak series I grabbed my bottle of Glenlivet 15 French oak reserve to compare. I have to say the Glenlivet had a warmer nose and smoother, fruitier palate. All for half the price of the Macallan 15. 3.25